The last council meeting of 2020 dealt heavily with the protection of heritage, including one particular case of the Old Crawley farmhouse. Perhaps the fall of the Preston Springs Hotel in Cambridge over the holidays portends a similar fate for valuable heritage buildings in Guelph, but one thing is certain: If we care about our heritage buildings and features, time is running out to save them. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #255 – An End to Demolition By Neglect”
This is the first city council meeting of 2021, and it will feature a look into the future, a look into the present, and a look into the past. On the agenda is the work plan from council’s one employee, a handful of sign variances, and a delayed look at a plan for Guelph’s heritage. Plus, there’s a new group that council wants Guelph to be a member of. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the January 11 Meeting?”
Looking back at 2020, one recalls the loft aspirations for the year that Mayor Cam Guthrie articulated at his annual State of the City speech. That was the first week of February. Less than six weeks later, the world was closed and Guthrie had to lead the city through what might be the most complicated and multifaceted crisis that Guelph has ever faced in its 193-year history. So how did it go? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #252 – Christmas With Cam”
Before we literally and figuratively blow up 2020 (as depicted above), let us take a minute to remember some of the major news stories in Guelph over the last 12 months. Leaving behind the pandemic and the renewed call for social equality (both of which will be covered separately in their own pieces), let us consider the news that made this year one for the eternal annals of the City of Guelph. Continue reading “Top 10 (Non-COVID, Non-Social Justice) Guelph News Stories of 2020”
Four meetings of city council took place this month, and there was a lot of action on a lot of different files. The big one was the 2021 budget, and there’s always lots of friction around those issues, but there were also some contentious debates on heritage matters and accessory apartment policy too. So let’s look back at what happened this past month at city council, and the last batch of council meetings for 2020. Continue reading “This Month at Council: The Budget, Heritage, and Accessory Apartments”
Two planning matters for the last meeting of 2020. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for December 14, 2020 (Planning)”
It’s the first of back-to-back meetings to end 2020 at council. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for December 14, 2020”
The flags at City Hall were ordered lowered to half mast on Friday to honour the late David Birtwistle, a former city councillor, mayoral candidate, and active member of Guelph’s political establishment. Mayor Cam Guthrie in a statement said that Birtwistle “cared deeply” for his community, and that we was an “engaged and active citizen” even after he left formal political life. Continue reading “City Hall Flags Fly at Half Mast for Former City Councillor David Birtwistle”
In their meeting Tuesday night, the committee that oversees heritage issues in Guelph unanimously rejected an endorsement of the City of Guelph’s Cultural Heritage Action Plan (CHAP) and requested that City staff do more consultation work before moving forward. Heritage Guelph outlined a number of issues with the plan as it currently stands, and had a number of suggestions for improvement. Continue reading “Heritage Guelph Rejects Cultural Heritage Action Plan at Meeting”
Blue box management, real estate, and COVID response are among the topics for this meeting. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here (and here) for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for December 7, 2020”
Guelph Politico 